Hotel Drabble
by dingohart
Summary: A girl is on vacation and meets our favorite green eyed boy. A friendship is formed and the golden trio and their new friend Jackie set out on an adventure.
1. Poolside Meeting

The hotel room felt confining, everything about it unwelcoming. The two beds, gold framed mirror, water colored coastlines hanging on the walls. The night ticked away, yet one girl laid awake tossing and turning. A hand shot out form underneath the covers, pushing her off the bed.

"You're not staying in the bed if you are going to keep me up all night." A voice grumbled.

The girl couldn't stand the room anymore, it was maddening. She stumbled into the bathroom changing into a bikini, pulling a skirt on over it. The hotel pool was open all night on weekends; the girl hoped it would be empty. She needed some kind of an escape.

She left the room after grabbing her purse and room key. She pressed the down button of the elevator. She tapped her foot anxiously waiting for the elevator to reach the eighteenth floor. Technically, she wasn't suppose to be out after curfew which was two hours ago at ten.

The doors opened noisily. The girl slipped in, pressing the button for the lobby. She looked at herself in the mirrored walls. She adjusted her skirt over her bikini, and then threw her black hair up in a messy bun, again adjusting the skirt.

The lobby was empty except for a small man at the information desk. His eyes hung heavily about to nod off when he heard the girl speak.

"Can I have a towel for the pool?"

"Isn't it a little late to be going for a swim?" He asked grabbing a towel from behind the desk.

"I suppose so, but I needed to clear my head." The desk attendant watched the girl disappear behind the automatic doors. He sighed to himself.

"_She is the second one to go out there tonight. What is it with teens these days? Do they not believe in sleep?"_

Out in the pool was a black haired boy, doing exactly what the girl wanted to do,_ clearing his head. _He was floating on his back in the shallow water. He had been in the water for a while now musing over what he should do next. His friends had forced him into going on this vacation. They said he needed to get his mind off of everything that had happened.

He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of the automatic doors opening. He stood near the wall melting into the shadows of the dimly lit patio. Stealth had become second nature to him after everything that ad happened to him. His green eyes studied the girl, looking for anything about her that was threatening. Everything about her seemed normal, not a spy sent here to get him while he wasn't paying attention. But he was always paying attention now.

After removing her outer clothes, the girl stood at the edge of the pool, shaking her long hair out of the bun. She dove into the pool, arching her body with a form that had only been perfected by practice. She disappeared underneath the water, swimming the length of the pool before resurfacing, after taking a few breaths she disappearing under the water again. The black haired boy looked around the water trying to find her.

"You know it not nice to spy on people." A voice said from behind him.

The girl had known there was someone in the pool since she dived in. She saw the shadow while she was underneath water, nothing defining, just a dark figure in the corner.

Had it not been so dark in the pool the girl would have seen the boy visibly blushing.

"Well…I…er…I…you know…didn't want to disturb you…yes, I didn't want to disturb you. You looked very deep in thought." He stuttered out in his British accent.

"Is that so," the girl said taking a step closer, "You seem to look troubled. I can see it in your eyes; do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I just needed a couple minutes alone, get away from it all."

"Does that mean you want me to leave?" The girl turned to leave but the dark haired boy pulled her back.

"No, maybe I don't want to be alone anymore." He said pulling her close in the water. The girl looked into her green eyes that seemed to glow in the moon light.

"Then what do you propose we do" The girl asked feeling rather bold.

"I can think of something." The boy said grinning. He leaned in slowly, his face close to the girls. Their lips met softly. The girls wrapped her arms around the boy's neck. The boy ran his hands through her hair. When they broke apart they were both smiling.

"I wouldn't mind doing that." The girls said before kissing him again.

"Well, I certainly feel better." The boy said grinning foolishly.

"Yes, it was certainly nice, but I think I should be going." The girl climbed over the edge of the pool. She started to walk away her body covered I her towel.

"Wait! I don't know your name."

"Maybe if you meet me here tomorrow at the same time I'll tell you." She said before once again disappearing behind the automatic doors. The green eyed boy pulled himself out of the pool, sitting on the edge with his legs dangling in the water. He was surprised with himself; he wasn't like _that_, not like that at all. He didn't understand what had come over him, the urge to talk to people on the outside, people who weren't afraid that he would break down. Hadn't he proven he was strong enough to handle anything.

He hadn't acted that way with someone n a long time, a very long time to him atleast. The girl was so familiar, yet so different. He didn't know how he could tell how she was, it was a sense. It was second habit to try and decipher people real intensions, if they were honest. There was something about he that made him feel lighter, freer, even if he didn't really know her. And it scared him. He couldn't just kiss random girls he met in the pool, it was completely out of character. What would his friends think; certainly he's lost his mind. That could be the only explanation, unless, unless he was finally coming to terms with what happened. It still hurt, but maybe, just maybe he let himself live, stop hiding from the world. Maybe, just maybe…


	2. Harry's New Friend

When, the black haired boy, finally went back to his room he was feeling, if possible, more confused then before. _What just happened?_ He asked himself. He hadn't felt so drawn to anyone in a while. Not since… well, he didn't want to think about that.

The TV was blaring when he got into the room. His two friends lay on their bed, holding hands and fast asleep. The boy sighed. He longed to have someone he could be like that with again.

The TV clicked off. The boy with green eyes climbed into his bed. He laid in the dark for quite some time before his mind let him fall into a sleep filled with a swimming girl with black hair.

Not again, she thought to herself as she lay in bed. She'd taken advantage of him. He didn't know what he was doing. She didn't want to do that again. Last time it had only gotten her into trouble. It only made things worse.

But maybe this time could be different; he didn't have to be like the others. That would be the best thing to happen to the girl, but it wouldn't. Nothing good ever seemed to happen to her.

_I'm going to die alone_, she thought. Then she imagined all the ways she could be alone. She could be one of those cat ladies who name each of her cats after a past lover. Or maybe she would be one of the senile ones who walk around aimlessly talking to themselves. And when someone walks by her she would say things about them loud enough for them to hear.

At any rate she was destined to be alone. She had to be. All of her friends had abandoned her, and her parents just plain sucked, or at least her step – mother did. Any friends or lovers were out of the question.

But maybe this one, maybe one time she would be able to make it work. Make a friend who didn't judge her, wouldn't abandon her. Even if it was only a few days, just to prove to herself that she wouldn't be alone.

The shrill ring of the phone woke her up for the second morning in a row. In the darkness of the room some one reached for the nightstand and answered the cursed thing.

"Yea…uh-huh…we're up…yes…we'll be ready." The girl rolled herself out of bed, stumbling over to the window and opening the curtains.

"Oh god, it's too early." The closest girl moaned, rolling away for the light.

Every morning they got a call to make sure they would be ready for breakfast then to depart on the buses to see the sights. One girl went in the bathroom, to take a quick shower. Four girls and one bathroom wasn't an easy ting to manage, but they made due.

This trip was for the graduating class of 2000. The black haired girl was in the top 5 but at graduation there had been no one there to congratulate her. No flowers for daddy's little girl. No, her dad and step mother were on a cruise in the Caribbean. The girl had to pay for this trip by herself.

Her birth mother had died when she was seven. Half of her mother's estate had gone into a fund for her. Each month she got a check. The money was good; her mother had been a researcher in the rainforest and was one of the most brilliant people in the girl's eyes. But one day she fell ill with one of the untreatable disease that she had been searching for a cure to, and then she was gone.

When her father remarried, she realized she hated him. It was clear to her then that he had only loved her mother's money, not her mother. She moved out of the house as soon as she could. She found herself an apartment near the high school. She didn't plan on going to college. She was working on getting a shop where she could sell decorations, like ornaments and such. Right now she was trying to forget about all of that, if only for a few days.

When the dark haired boy woke up there was only a sliver of light filtering through the curtains. He got up and opened them, the light bathing the room in a warm glow. The ocean front view was beautiful. There was hardly anyone at the beach this early. The waves crashed on the beach, the tide was low. The beach seemed to stretch forever in both directions. Before now the boy had never seen so much water. The lake by his school was nothing compared to the never ending expansive Atlantic Ocean.

His two friends stirred in the sun light. The brown hair girl managed to crawl out of bed and get to the bath room. When she came out she was fully clothed and ready to go out for the day. The red head was still in bed snoring loudly, obliviously to the sun shining in the room or the rummaging sounds of the other boy looking for a pair of shorts.

The first two were ready to go when the third finally rolled out of bed. He quickly threw on some clothes and followed the other two out of the room. He yawned widely as the boarded the elevator. He rubbed the back of his head when he saw the looks he was receiving for the other two.

"What I'm tired?"

"You're tired Ron, I was up much later than you, and you don't see me still wiping the sleep out of my eyes."

"Well, not everyone can be like 'The Great Harry Potter Protector of his People.'"

"Shut up Ron." The dark haired boy said pushing the red head playfully.

"What were you doing last night?" The brown hair girl asked.

"Well, Hermione, if you must know, I went for a swim for a little bit. Then I came back to the room." Ron did not miss the grin that Harry had when he said where he had been.

"Was going for a swim _all_ you did last night. You seem chipper then usual. I don't recall hearing you complaining about how we are taking you on a trip that is a complete waste of your time. You haven't failed to remind us any of the other days."

"I would like to know too Harry. You've been smiling all morning."

"First, some of us have only been up at the most half an hour, hardly long enough to have something to complain about. Second, I don't even know exactly what happened last night, but I think liked it." Harry said ending the conversation by leaving the elevator as they reached the lobby.

The black haired girl lounged on a couch in the hotel lobby. She couldn't be in the room any longer listening to the useless chirping of her roomies. Even after graduation they had nothing better to do then gossip about people. They were probably talking about her now that she wasn't in the room. That is how they were. You leave the room and you're now open for discussion.

She had given up with the book she had been trying to read. The main character was rather boring and predictable. She had turned to watching the new arrivals coming into the hotel. In her head she would make up their story. Why they were here, who they would see, what they were like back home. It was a good way to pass the time until a group of three people came in who weren't new arrivals.

The dark haired boy from the pool walked in with a couple holding hands. The red head boy seemed to be telling a story, the other two laughing joyfully. The girl holding hands with the red head seemed so happy, with out worry. She didn't seem to notice where they were only who she was with. That's what she wanted, someone she could be like that with.

"Harry, you know, you don't have to pay for everything, we are the reason that you are on this trip in the first place." Hermione said as they climbed out of the car at the hotel.

"Yes, but you know that that money really isn't a problem for me. I never have to get a real job if I don't want to. At least I'm not just spending it on myself."

"You have to admit 'Mione that boat ride was amazing. Even if I almost fell in. And then when I caught that fish." Ron launched into telling the story of how he had hooked the huge fish and it nearly pulled him over and how it took both him and Harry to reel it in.

The dark haired boy listened to the story but at the same time his mind was somewhere else. He kept thinking that he would be able to see that girl again tonight. He kept trying to think of things he could say to impress her. He still hadn't told the other two about her yet. In some ways he felt that if he said anything about her she would simply disappear. If he said what he was feeling that she would leave like almost all of the people he cared about. So many people he had loved had died, gone forever. What if he didn't get to see the girl again? He would never be able to find out what drew him to her so. What about her that was so intriguing. All day he had found his mind wondering to thoughts of her.

"Hey Harry, there's a girl staring at you. You think it is another fan of yours." Harry turned and saw her. Sitting on a couch looking over at Harry. She smiled at him before looking down at her book. Harry could feel his heart racing, his mind dizzy. There she was, completely relaxed and looking exactly as he remembered; long black hair, grey-blue eyes that were filled with emotions. He could see she was blushing, but that was okay, she was real, he hadn't imagined her.

"Oh, I think Harry's made a new friend." Hermione said softly as the elevator doors shut. Ron's mouth shocked in dropped.

"Harry, you met someone. Is _that_ what you were doing?"

"Nothing happened you two. I just met her at the pool last night. I'm going to meet her again. And for your information I don't even know her name."

"Don't act like it is nothing Harry, I saw the look you gave her. You're interested,"

"No, I'm not attracted to her, per se. I can't explain it Hermione. I was drawn to her. She came out to the pool last night and after that I couldn't stop thinking about her. It's the first time since, well, you know." Harry looked down, his face felt hot.

"Harry I know what happened was hard on you; it was hard on all of us. Look at Ron, he's been able to move on and it was his sister."

"But I don't just want to forget her." Harry said frustrated.

"I haven't forgotten her Harry; I just realized that she would have wanted us to move on with our lives. She would have wanted you to be happy. She chose to be in the war, there was nothing we could have done."

"Ron's right Harry, no matter what you think there was nothing we could have done to save her, no way.

"I guess so, I'll try. Maybe this will be good for me. She could be a friend, at least, who doesn't want to talk to me only because of what I did, but because they want to talk to _me_."

"Are you sure it's not because she's a good snog."

"Ronald Weasley, that is not nice to say about a girl you haven't met." Hermione said indignantly.

A.N.

So I decided to start rewriting this story. Some of the stuff made no sense. I'm going to finish it, eventually. For now I will repost all of the chaps I have finished. I want to thank everyone who has read ti so far and enjoyed it. Ciao for now my lovelies!


	3. Damsel in Distress

The black hair girl tapped her foot anxiously; she bit down on her lip restraining herself from saying something. Her roommates were sitting around her on the couch chirping away about another mindless topic. Currently they were dissing one of the other girls in their year, who was also on the trip. After a while the conversation turned to the dark haired girl.

"You know, Jackie," one of the girls said in her sing song voice. "Derrick was really mad when you left him."

"Yes, I heard the same thing. They said that he got picked up by the police and he was completely smashed. You should take him back, he doesn't want to be with anyone but you." Another one of the little harpies said.

"I should, should I? Did you ever wonder that that isn't possible because he hit me? I'm pretty sure that's not the kind of relationship I want to be in." The black haired girl said, the heat rising in her cheeks.

"How could you turn down the best looking guy in our year?" The first girl sang.

"Maybe, it has something to do with good looks not being everything." Jackie said through her teeth.

"Yes but he is such a wonderful guy…

The lobby of the hotel was crowded when the dark haired boy came down to get a pizza for the café. People were sitting on all the chairs and at all the tables. Harry went to the line and ordered his pizza. The cashier said it would take 10 minutes.

Harry looked around the lobby, all the people sitting around talking to their companions. One group caught his eyes. There were about four girls on one of the couches, all talking at once. The only one that mattered was the one with dark hair. Her eyes flashed with anger as she argued blithely with one of the other girls. Her face was getting red, but the girl she was arguing with didn't seem to notice. She continued to talk ignoring the other girl's protests.

Then the dark haired girl stopped arguing. She stared at the other girl with accusing eyes. Nothing else in the room seemed to matter to her. Not the wail of someone's baby or the laughter of a group of old men playing cards. Nothing mattered but the anger that she felt, the uncontrollable fire in her mind the…

It all happened so fast the dark haired boy wasn't sure what it was at first. One of the over head lights exploding, shards of glass rained down on the people below. Someone screamed, others ran, and chaos ensued. Staff members tried to calm the people, but it was no use.

All Harry saw was a glimpse of the black haired girl disappearing up the stairwell. He ran, throwing the doors to the stairway open. He ran up the steps two at a time, not sure what he was doing, only aware of the fact that he needed to talk to the girl. He needed to help her.

Jackie collapsed after the first few floors of stairs. Her mind was running in circles trying to comprehend what had just happened. _It_ had happened again, that unexplainable power. It wasn't the first time it had happened, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last. She tried to control _it, _but how do you control something you can't explain.

She had let her anger get the best of her. _It_ always happened when she got really mad. The first time was when her mother had died. There was a vase of flowers sitting on the piano. They were white roses; her mother's favorite. She hated her mother for dying and leaving her alone, how could she have done that? She was mad at the world, mad at her mother, mad at her father, and mad at the flowers. Those delicate white petals, which resembled the very way her mother had looked while she was in the hospital slowly dying, no one able to save her.

There's no way to explain to a child that there was nothing the doctor could do to save her mother. So she sat there, staring at the flowers, her eyes raging with anger. Then as if a small bomb had gone off the vase exploded. Glass and water flew in every direction. Those delicate petals were shredded by the glass and lay limply on the floor in a pile of glass shards. No one would be able to figure out it had been her that had broken that light, but she felt trapped, thinking of ways that she could hurt people if she let her anger get out of hand.

She cried into her hands, her body leaned up against the cold cement wall of the stair well. Her sobs were so loud, so desperate, her mind so lost in her own pain she didn't hear anyone walking up the stairs after her. She didn't know they were there until they reached out a hand a placed it on her shoulder.

Her eyes were red when she looked up at him. Harry could tell that something serious had upset. It was such a similar sight, someone so completely immersed in their own sorrow. How many friends had he seen like this? And then something in the back of his mind was trying to tell him there was something he needed to know, he just couldn't figure it out. There was something about this girl that was like other girls.

"Do you want to talk now?" He offered sitting down next to her. She looked away, tears wetting the concrete floor near her feet. Her hands held her hair out of her face. It was a horrible way to see someone; it reminded Harry of his own pain.

"It's nothing really, just silly ole me over reacting." She choked out.

"It's not nothing if it has you so upset. What were those girls saying to you?" He asked hoping that talking about it would make her feel better.

"It doesn't matter; I shouldn't have let it bother me that badly. They're always like that, cold and uncaring."

"Then why were you there? Why put up with people like that?" He asked earnestly.

"Why? The rest of them are the same. Just as conniving. But the ones I was with, they use to be friends, good ones, or at least I thought they were. Then life happened and we drifted apart." She said whipping her eyes.

"No kind of friend should do that. How could they be so inconsiderate?"

"Well, me and them have a totally different outlook on life, let's say they are very materialistic. And we disagree on a lot of things, like what a relationship is. I went out with this guy and, you know at first it was all good and dandy, but then he started to get really stressed. He was failing a class and he was afraid he wouldn't be able graduate. He started to take it out on me. At first it was yelling at me, and I could take it, I thought he would get over it after a while. But it didn't, it just seemed to escalate until one day he hit me." Harry looked at the girl, her blue eyes looked blank and stared forward.

He wanted to reach to her, say something to try and comfort her, but his mind could form no words. He was so use to keeping everything locked up in side of him that it was odd for him to have some one else tell him their problems. Him, some stranger she had met once. But when he thought about it later, what he would have given to have had someone he could tell his problems to in the past, someone who indifferent to the situation, it would have helped.

The girl continued, "I decided that he had gone too far and broke up with him. He didn't take it to well; he's become obsessed with me now. All he does is try to get back with me and drink. He doesn't think it matters that he hurt me, and that it hurts every time I see him. Your average movie cliché relationship"

"I don't know much about movies, but those girls don't care that you don't want to hear about that and all?"

"You obviously aren't accustomed to girl talks, or maybe it's only American girls."

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, you are obviously from Britain or somewhere near there because of your accent. And Americans have a habit of being rude and ill-mannered."

"I guess some Americans are. The only girls I'm really close to is my friend Hermione and she isn't like that. She's complained about the other girls doing that, but not her. I'm glad I never had to listen to any of it. Gossip, really, is it necessary?" Harry rambled on. "I used to have a lot of gossip about me, so you know, I never heard any of it. How about, we make you feel better by talking about something less depressing. Like, what is you name?" The girl laughed, throwing her head back.

"Smooth, real smooth. My name is Jackie. And yours?"

"Harry." Jackie smiled. "What's funny about my name?" Harry looked at her confused.

"It's just I always thought that when I met someone named Harry, he'd be, well, hairy."

"Have you looked at my head. This mop of hair is untamable. And that is on a good day."

"I guess I can't talk to you anymore," Jackie said in a dead serious voice. "I can't be seen with someone who doesn't have perfect hair."

"Oh, that hurt, it really did." They sat and talked for a while on the stairs until someone opened one of the doors and started to walk down. They decided it was time to leave and that they would still meet that night.

"Thanks Harry." Jackie said before leaving.

"What for?"

"You know, making me feel better."

"Oh, it was my pleasure. Think of me as a knight in shining armor. I have to come to rescue the damsel in distress."

"Who said I liked being a damsel in distress?"

"I did."

That night Jackie snuck out of the room again, once again able to miss the guard that should have been patrolling the halls. The routine was the same as the last night. Go down to the lobby, get a towel and walk out on to the patio. But this time when she got there the boy named Harry wasn't there.

Jackie sat on one the lounge chairs looking up at the sky. The night was clear and stars twinkled down. Her mind had begun to wander when a tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality.

"Star gazing isn't as fun as you may think it is." Harry said sitting down on a chair next to Jackie.

"And you would know that why?"

"Well, in school I took astronomy. Not the funniest class, late night trying to chart stars and such. Really it was quite a bore on occasion."

"And what school did you go to."

"It was a boarding school, but the name is kinda unusual, you're going to laugh at it.

"Tell me."

"Well it was Hogwarts." Jackie chuckled.

"Hogwarts, what kind of a name was that?" She asked

"It was named that for some reason, but I never cared to remember, I bet my friend Hermione would know. She's the brain of my little group of friends."

"What's this group?"

"Its, me, my best mate Ron, and Hermione. We've been friends since we were eleven."

"You're lucky then, I wish I had a group of friends like that. All the ones I use to be friends with are back stabbers."

"Oh poor Jackie," he said kneeling down on the ground. "Jackie, would you care to join my group of friends. I'm sure they would love you."

"Sure, it would be great to have friends who didn't talk about you." Jackie said laughing.

A.N.

So lovelies, the third Chapter. I have two more written and one in the works. Probably nothing else this week, maybe next Monday cause there is no school and all. I want to thank **Prongsgrl** who was my first reviewers since I started to rewrite this. Till next time Dingo


	4. Day at the Beach

"So what do they have planned for you today?" Harry asked the next morning. The two sat on a couch in the lobby.

"Well, pretty they said today we could do what ever we want. The other days were more structure, but they can't really control us since we are graduated and all." Jackie explained.

"My friends and I plan on going to the beach, would you like to come? If you want to." Harry asked.

"Yea, that would be awesome, we just have to tell the chaperones where we are going. I'll just tell them you are family, its easy enough to believe."

Jackie ran off to a group of adults with clip boards. She talked to one for a minute. She told the woman she was talking to that she was going to be spending the day with a family member. The chaperone made sure that Jackie knew when she needed to be back and that her cell phone number was correct in case of emergencies.

Jackie went back over to Harry and waited with him until Ron and Hermione came down. The two weren't surprised when they saw Jackie because Harry had told them that he was inviting her to come to the beach with them.

Jackie studied the two friends. They had their fingers intertwined and were both smiling. The red headed boy was goofy, he had loopy smile and a carefree attitude. The boy was nearly a foot taller then the girl; there was a slight sun burn on the bridge of his nose. His companion seemed to be the opposite, she was calmer, more studious looking (if you could tell that from looking at a person). She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, the long curls bouncing as she walked. Her eyes had intelligence in them and she seemed like the kind of person who was really smart, but didn't rub it in your face.

"Ron, Hermione, this is Jackie," Harry said showing the two Jackie. "Jackie, this is Ron and Hermione, my best mates from school." Hermione shook her hand.

"It's great to meet you. Harry doesn't have many friends." She said

"What do you mean I don't have any friends? Don't listen to her Jackie, I have friends?"

"Like who?"

"Er, Fred and George and…"

"You can't count Ron's brothers, _anyway_, let's go Ron's driving." Hermione pulled the dumbstruck boy away.

"I really do have friends." Harry said to Jackie as they followed Hermione and Ron.

"Sure you do." Jackie said sarcastically.

It was a perfect day to go to the beach. The sky was a clear blue; it was warm with a slight breeze to cool you off. The ocean was clear and the waves crashed happily on the shore. Hermione supplied everyone with towels and busied herself with setting up an umbrella. Ron tried to help her but she shooed him away.

"Ron, you know you're inept when it comes to _these_ kinds of things." She said the third time he tried to help her.

"So what if I couldn't get the toaster to work, I can drive the car."

"Yea and that was a surprise considering the only other practicing doing it was with your dad's Ford and even then there wasn't much to hit." They bantered back in forth until Hermione had set everything up to her liking.

"All right, I think we should swim for a while then come back and eat the picnic I prepared." Hermione said, everyone agreed.

Jackie enjoyed the water; it was one of the plusses of living on the coast. She noticed Ron enjoyed it in that kid in a toy store kind of way. He told the others that next time they went on vacation that he would learn to surfboard.

Eventually they all got out of the water and ate lunch. For a while they sat in silence devouring the food Hermione produced form a large basket. It wasn't long though before Hermione and Ron started to fight about how many sandwiches he had eaten.

"We're all lucky I made as many as I did or there would have been any left when Ron was done eating." She said huffily.

"Do they do that a lot?" Jackie asked Harry.

"Yea, it got worst when they became a couple. Ron loses most of them; I don't know why he tries anymore."

"Seems like she keeps you two in check?"

"Pretty much, if it wasn't for her, me and Ron would have never made it through school, and if it wasn't for me and Ron we wouldn't have gotten in as much trouble."

"Oh, so you're a bad boy." Jackie asked.

"Hardly, I just always seemed to be in the wrong place at the right time. Ron's brothers were the troubled makers. The twins were the biggest pranksters our school had seen since my dad went there."

"I guess that makes for good stories then from him."

"Well, not really, see my dad and my mom died when I was a year old. I grew up with my aunt and uncle and their son. They weren't exactly happy about it, but they didn't mind when I went to Hogwarts, being a boarding school and all."

"My mom died too, a couple years ago. My dad remarried and she's a real hag. I don't talk to my dad anymore. I live off the money my mom left me when she died. I hate my dad, he didn't love my mother, he just wanted her money."

"That's horrible." Harry said aghast.

"Well, life happens. We should stay in touch after I leave tomorrow. How much longer are you going to be in the country?"

"Um, not really sure, for as long as we want I guess. I think Hermione decided that we should travel around a bit, get in the full affect of America. Maybe we could head your way next and we could hang out some there."

"That's sounds cool. I live in Myrtle Beach, in South Carolina. When we get back to the hotel I can give you the address and phone number."

"That's not to far from here. Maybe we would be up there in a day of two. We've been here for almost two weeks."

The day wore on and the four spent it happily talking on the beach and playing in the ocean. Harry was surprised at how well Hermione and Jackie got along together; their personalities just seemed to click.

After watching the sunset the group headed back to the hotel. Jackie checked in with the chaperones and went and sat on a couch with Harry and Ron, Hermione had left saying she had something important she had forgotten to do.

Hermione locked the door and shut the curtains tightly. She rummaged through her bags and pulled out a long wooden wand. Then she withdrew some paper and a pen. She went to the bathroom and sat on the floor thinking of what she should say.

Harry had told what he had seen yesterday. How he was almost positive that Jackie had been the reason that the light had exploded. And his theory about how maybe she was a witch but didn't know it or she would have known who he was. Everyone in the Wizarding world knew Harry, Defeater of Lord Voldemort.

It was possible that she was a witch, it could be in her blood or she could be a muggle born like Hermione. What Hermione wanted to know was what schooling was like in America and what techniques were used in locating people with magical powers. She knew it wasn't quite as advanced as Britain's, because it was a younger country, but they had to have something.

She didn't want Harry to get his hopes up. She knew that there was no way they could bring a muggle home, there would be too much to explain. She would never be able to adjust to their live styles. She needed to clarify it, before Harry got too attached to her and got his hopes dashed. Hermione couldn't let that happen to him after everything else.

She decided to ask Remus what he thought, he knew about theses kind of things. He had become very involved in muggles wizard relations after the war.

_Dear Remus,_

_I hope things are good with you on your side, and that your little problem isn't getting in the way of you having fun. I think we finally got Harry's mind off of what happened. He made a new friend which is the reason why I am writing to you._

_There is nothing wrong with this girl, I think it is wonderful for Harry to have friends outside of our world, but we think that she may not be as out of our world as she seems._

_Harry said that he saw her get in an argument with some of the people who she is staying with at the hotel. She started to get real angry then a light in the lobby exploded. He said that the look on her face told him that it was her who did it. _

_I'm sure she isn't aware of our world because she doesn't know who Harry is and everyone does. We're luck we've avoided anyone recognizing him for so long. What I was wondering though was what kind of system America has for detecting magic. What is their school system like?_

_Can write back as soon as possible._

_Your friend,_

_Hermione Granger_

Hermione folded the note up and slipped it into an envelope she grabbed. She tapped in with her wand and said a few choice words and it disappeared.

Remus Lupin sat at his desk pouring over a book of notes he had taking on lycanthropy. He was trying to find a cure for it, or something that would stop the transformations. He stopped when a small envelope appeared in front of him. He picked it up and opened it. His eyes were wide as he read it. When he finished reading it, he pushed aside his book pulling out a piece of parchment. Muttering an, oh dear, before writing a reply.

A.N.

So, Chapter 4. I wonder what is going to happen next? Oh, wait, I don't have to _wait _I already know. Ha, but really, the next few will probably be slower because I actually have to start writing them and keep up with revisions.

Special thanks to all of you who reviewed, **Prongsgrl, Lakewater, Febitoria. **Its wonderful to get reviews. They're amazing.

Untill next time lovelies Dingo


	5. Harry's Happy, War's Depressing

The plan was made before Hermione returned from sending her letter. The trio would drive up the coast to Myrtle Beach. Jackie had suggested a couple of places where they could stay, and if all else failed; they could crash at her place for a while. Hermione was filled in on the plan; she had no problems with it. They had found a mystery and Hermione could not pass up a mystery.

Since the end of the war life for the trio had been stagnant. Nothing new really developed after the defeat of Lord Voldemort, other then a few small rebellions from some remaining death eaters. For two weeks after Harry had destroyed Voldemort and the last of his horcuxes, he had holed himself up in Ron's room at The Burrow. He wouldn't talk to anyone; he barely ate, and refused to leave the room.

Everyone was worried about him, he had lost some much to the war, he blamed every death on himself. It had been decided that the best thing to do was to get him away from the reminders. Hermione was the one who came up with going to America. In America there wouldn't be as much hype about the defeat.

It took a month for all the preparations. They took a plane from London to America. At first Harry had been apprehensive of the whole situation, but once they left Britain he seemed to relax little by little until he was able to smile and enjoy himself.

They had started in Florida and slowly worked their way up the coast until they found Augusta, Georgia, their current location. They decided to stay there a while, take a break from the traveling.

It made Hermione and Ron happy t see the change in Harry's demeanor. When Harry was depressed it had depressed them too. He was their closest friend and meant so much to them.

After the war Harry had hardly talked to anyone outside of the Weasley family and the Order, and even what was said was minimal. Seeing Harry talking to someone else made Hermione even happier, but it made her wonder. They couldn't stay in America forever. Hermione worried that when they went home Harry would go back into his depression. Jackie seemed to put him at ease, but she couldn't come back with them but maybe…

Maybe if what Harry thought was true, and she did have some kind of magical blood then, maybe, just maybe, they could persuade her to go with them. It didn't seem like what powers she did have were in her control. It could be dangerous for her to wonder around with untamed magic.

It was late when Jackie got back into her room that night. She pulled off a light jacket she had put on that night and put it on the bed with her beach bag. The other girls were already in bed but she had to pack all of her belongings, if she wanted to be ready to leave in the morning. As quietly as possible she pilled her clothes and other things into her suitcase. She smiled while she did this. Her thoughts wondered to Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione. Harry was amazing; he made her feel so great. She could talk to him and his friends with out worrying about how they would think of her. They didn't have any other prejudices that the kids from her school did. They didn't judge her based on a rumor they had heard.

But there was something else about them that she couldn't place. Something that made her feel at ease. That they had been through some of the same things she had. That they would understand _it_. That was one of the reasons she had pushed so many people away. She was afraid some one would find out that they would shun her and called her a freak, because that was how people were. They didn't like things that they didn't understand. They would put her on display and laugh at her. It was the way they were. They find one thing wrong with you, one thing different and they exploit it.

But Harry and his friends didn't make her feel like that, like they would hate her for it. It was like intuition telling her it was okay to be friends with them; they wouldn't hate her for it. She wasn't going to come out and tell them, but maybe one day, when she was ready she would tell them about it. And maybe they would understand and they would be able to help her with it. They deserved to know if she was going to be friends with them, real friends, not like those girls she went to school with, but friends she could really trust. Then she would tell them, when she was sure they could be trusted, but until then she had to keep it hidden, locked away in that secret part of her heart where she kept all of her little secrets.

The morning was somewhat of a blur to Jackie. She could remember getting out of bed and gather the rest of her stuff. Then she loaded it onto the busses before grabbing breakfast in the lobby. Harry had come to say goodbye, they had talked, but Jackie couldn't remember about what. He said he would call her in a day to tell her when they would be getting into town so they could meet up.

Ron and Hermione had made an appearance, they said their goodbyes. Jackie remembered she was sad about leaving so Ron had made up a story about how he had to save her from kidnappers and some other kind of nonsense. It had made her laugh. She remembers that the whole time Hermione had a small knowing kind of smile, the kind you have when you know something that no one else does. But Jackie didn't really care she was too busy thinking about leaving.

Harry had given her a big hug, wishing her luck with the bus ride back. Jackie remembered that she liked how it felt when she was in his arms. It was a feeling of being wanted, being cared for. She still had a smile on her face when she got on the bus, waving one last time to the trio. There was about a five hours drive to survive before she was home, but knowing that there was actually something to look forward to make her feel happy.

"You guys won't believe what Remus said." Hermione announced once the bus was out of sight. Harry and Ron both stared at her.

"WHAT?" the shouted simultaneously.

"I'll tell you in the room."

Ron hated when Hermione did this, she always use to do it back in school. She would know something, tell you she knew it then make you wait to learn what it was. In a way it did make things interesting, but Ron hated being out of the loop. Sometimes he would be the only one who didn't get something and he would have to wait for Hermione to explain it to him. It had happen so many times on the trip, there would be some kind of silly muggle way of doing things that he didn't get, and he would have to wait for Hermione to explain it, usually because Hermione and Harry were too busy laughing at his expensive to explain it to him. He didn't mind them laughing at him, after having the Twins as brothers he had developed a few of their habits.

He loved to make Hermione laugh, he loved the sound of it, and everything about it was perfect. They way her eyes lit up and the curve of her lips, the sound of it in his ears. Come to think of it he loved everything about Hermione. The way she acted, her smarts and her beauty, to Ron there was nothing more beautiful then Hermione. He felt like the luckiest man alive having her as his girlfriend. He planned on asking her to marry him, but not yet, he was waiting for the perfect moment to propose.

Right now was one of those few annoying times where he really wanted to know what she knew. Whatever Remus had said has to be important or she would have told them in the lobby, no need to go to the room.

A.N. Alright the next chapter is up yeah to me. I probably put the next on up in a few days. I would like to thank all of those people who reviewed the last one**: Febitoria, Hot0Red0Head, RandomObsessivePsychoFangirl, Jessica Hatchet and fanXforever**. I write for you guys. Oh, and the lovely critisism, please, come up with something better then "this sux"

Until next time lovelies Dingo


	6. Gopher Rights

Jackie walked into the empty house. She dropped her heavy luggage to the floor of the living room and collapsed onto the couch. She sighed softly draping an arm across her eyes to block out the evening sunlight. It felt good to be back home, away from all of the people she hated. Jackie was thankful for the end of high school. She would be able to keep the shop open full time, maybe even hire some help. She had plans, so many plans for the shop. She had already started to make Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations. The Fourth of July merchandise was a hit.

It wasn't until late into the night that Jackie made the least bit of an effort to unpack her bags. She shoved dirty clothes into a bulging hamper and threw clean clothes into the open draws of an antique armoire. After the clothes were done, she moved onto the bath items and such. She pulled out the beach bag, smiling as she remembered what if had been like that day.

Jackie pulled the jacket she had worn that day out of the bag. It must have ended up there while she was packing. She moved to put it away when a flash of white caught her eyes. She reached into the pocket and pulled out a napkin from the restaurant they had eaten at. She couldn't remember putting it there. Carefully she unfolded it and found and hastily scrawled note.

_Dear Jackie,_

_First I would like to apologize ahead of time because I am not so good with words so some of the things I might say won't make sense._

_I don't want to sound cheesy or weird since we only met a few days ago, but I want to thank you for the last couple of days. If I hadn't met you that day in the pool I probably would have spent the rest of the trip moping and then who knows what I would have been when we finally returned home. I wanted to let you know this just in case we weren't able to make it up your way. I'm pretty sure we will, Hermione likes you, and she is happy to see me off my arse and actually doing something. Well, I've got to go, hope you find this, and see you soon._

_Harry_

Jackie smiled at the note, it was adorable. _Why can't there be guys like Harry in America,_ she thought to herself as she folded the note and placed it in the top drawer of her dresser. She finished unpacking and sat down on the couch in her quiet living room. She looked out the large bay window into her back yard. _Maybe I'll take up gardening,_ she thought wishfully as she surveyed the landscape.

The flowerbeds were overgrown with wildflowers of every color. There was a gazebo with peeling white and blue paint. Trees had started to grow in some of the flowerbeds, and in some places there were clumps of dead vegetation. Jackie vowed to herself that she would cleanup the garden.

And that was where she was later that when the phone rang. She wiped her dirty hands on her shorts and picked the small black potable phone out of a pile of gardening tools.

"Hello?" She said pulling a leaf out of her hair.

"Hi, Jackie? It's Harry." Replied the voice on the other line.

"Harry! I thought you'd forgotten me. So, what's the news?" She asked hoping for the best.

"Well…"

"Well what?" She asked impatiently, the last week had been a monotony of gardening and sleeping.

"We're coming?"

Jackie managed to restrain an excited scream, saving Harry a painful experience. However, she didn't stop herself from dropping the phone in her excitement. It fell into a pile of weeds, and was lost in its tangled depths. A looked of horror was pasted on Jackie's face as she rummaged for the phone, still able to hear Harry's voice. Eventually she was able to retrieve the phone from the debris.

"Jackie! Are you still there?" Harry asked concerned.

"Yea, just dropped the phone, got lost there for a moments. It's all good now."

"Okay, no problem then, I just need your address, we'll be there tomorrow."

Jackie gave him the address and they talked for a few minutes. Eventually Harry had to go, something about Ron needing nourishment. Jackie spent the next couple of hours in a happy daze, methodically cleaning for her guests. She cleaned and prepared the three spare rooms for them, not sure what the sleeping arrangement was for Ron and Hermione.

There was a considerable amount of dust that had settled in the rooms. They hadn't been used for anything more then storage since Jackie had moved in. And she had a feeling that it had been decades since the landlord had rented it out to anyone else. She had only rented it to Jackie because the landlord, Mrs. Adams, had known Jackie's mother in the good ole days. Jackie wasn't sure what the "good ole days were" but she was thankful for them.

Harry couldn't sit still as their car sped down the costal highway. He sat in the back, staring out the window, counting down the minutes till they got to Jackie house. He was anxious to see the girl he feared would turn into a dream and escape through his fingers. It seemed surreal the way she appeared that night, like something sent to save him from himself.

Sitting in this car, driving down the highway made Harry realize how much he relied on magic, he had became so use to it over the years that getting back in the habit of doing things the Muggle way was hard. But it offered him time to get his thoughts into perspective. Driving places may take sometime, but it a wonderful opportunity to get some thinking done.

He wanted to be friends with Jackie he knew that but he was afraid. He couldn't explain it, before it was easier, when he pushed people away there was a good reason. But now that reason was gone, that didn't mean things weren't still dangerous, just not as much as they had been. He had lost out on love because he pushed the girl he loved away.

He didn't have to worry about Jackie being involved in a war, she was safe in America, and he could let his guard down. Yet, he still feared getting too close to someone. Emotional he didn't know if he could handle it, everyone told him he needed to move on, but he couldn't help thinking of all the ways he could still get hurt.

Jackie didn't seem like the kind of person who would try to hurt him; he knew that after the day in the stairwell. She was a good hearted person who had feelings. What he feared was that he would hurt her. He knew he couldn't stay here for ever, he wished he could, but eventually they would have to go back. There were people back home waiting for him, worried about him. He couldn't abandon them. If Jackie became too attached it would hurt her to see him go, he didn't want to do that.

Hermione looked back and saw the troubled look on Harry's face as he pondered his many feelings. He deserved to be happy after everything that had happened to him. If seeing this girl made him happy he should be able to enjoy it. . It wasn't hard for Hermione to understand why he was so intrigued by her. Jackie was an easy to talk to person, completely different then the girls from Hogwarts. She didn't flock to Harry because of his fame or the fact that he defeated Voldemort. It was because she like him, the real Harry Potter, the boy behind the scar.

Hermione liked Jackie, she was a nice person. She seemed honest. What Hermione worried about was her reply from Remus. It had been a couple days she wrote to him. After spending time with her she hadn't seen any signs of her having any powers, but then Harry had said that she was emotional when it happened. It was possible since she had not formal training that she accidentally uses her powers as a child would. She can't control what she does so it is very likely that she hasn't tried to hone her abilities. Hermione felt responsible to help the girl if it turned out that she did have some magical talents. She understood what it was like to be thrust into this world without knowing what she was getting herself into. People thinking she couldn't do it because she had no magical ancestors; well she proved them all around, she was the best in her class, brightest witch of her age is what they said. Hermione would be able to help Jackie though whatever emotions she might feel when the reveal the results to her.

Jackie sat in a worn rocker on the front porch waiting expectantly for the arrival of Harry and his friends. They had called only moment before to say that they were a couple minutes away. Jackie was beside herself in anticipation. Rarely was she excited to be seeing people, after what happened with her ex she tended to remove herself from situations where someone might bring it up, remind her of the pain. But with Harry and his friends she would be able to relax have a little fun.

It was only a couple minutes before Jackie heard a car driving down the gravel driveway tot the house. She held her breathe waiting to see the little red convertible. It turned the corner, Hermione and Ron in the front, Harry in the back. Jackie jumped from the rocker and waved to them, hardly able to contain herself. She took a quick deep breathe, trying to calm herself. She hadn't felt so excited in a long time, a very long time.

Ron eased the car up to the car up to the front of the house and turned off the ignition. He pulled the keys out, swirling them around a finger before attaching them to his jean short. He got out of the car slowly while Hermione nearly jumped out with Harry right on his heels. Ron thought that perhaps he was the only one who could see that Jackie wasn't going anywhere; therefore there was no need to rush. The two girls embraced like old friends, Ron mused over this, _it must be a girl thing_ he concluded.

"Oh it's so great to see you guys! I was worried there for a minute you wouldn't be bale to make. Well come on inside, I don't think I have ever had company here." Jackie ushered the three, Ron bringing up the rear with the luggage.

"Ron, you can leave that in here. You guys must be hungry after that trip."

"I know I'm hungry." Ron stated. Hermione hit his on the arm.

"Manners Ron, you're always hungry."

I'm a growing boy, I need nutrition. Anyway, it would have taken so long if you hadn't had to stop at every historical site on the way."

"Well Ronald, I'm sorry if history isn't you thing. I happen to be very interested in it."

"Yes that's all great but after listening to Binns drone on about Go-" Ron froze mid sentence. Hermione was glaring at him, Harry looked uncomfortable and Jackie was confused. "Um, Gopher rights, I could really care less." Ron smiled nervously, Jackie caught the peeved look Hermione was giving him and the sheepish smile Harry had. They were hiding something, she just didn't know what.

For dinner the trio and Jackie put together a meal of gumbo, rice and corn bread. Jackie had frozen leftover gumbo that she pulled out and put on the stove to reheat. Hermione was working diligently out of a 'Southern Living Cookbook' trying to make cornbread. Ron was looking on, trying to offer her help. Harry was pouring rice into a pot of boiling water. Jackie could tell by the awkward way the three moved around the kitchen that they weren't use to preparing their own food.

They ate out on the back patio in the shade of a fig tree. Ron, who had never eaten anything like gumbo was enthralled by its uniquely spicy flavor. Greedily he shoveled spoonful after spoonful into his mouth. Hermione chided him for his poor manners as Harry and Jackie laughed.

"That was amazing. Beats any Hogwarts feast."

"Eh, its easy enough. A little bit of tomatoes, some spices, a good roux and a little bit of Cajun magic." Hermione gave Harry a clandestine look; she was intrigued by that one little phase. It could be a clue Harry thought, then again it might mean nothing, Hermione would figure out.

A.N. Ha two days in a row, a first for me. The next should be out in a week. I'd like to thank my reviewers: **shadowytwilight, lake water, **and **Hot0Red0Head. **It's you guys that review that make this possible.

Oh and Harry Potter and its characters are not my own and I in no way profit from taking JKR's characters for a test drive.

Till next time lovelies Dingo


	7. Not a Replacement

"Jackie, your yard is so nice. How do you keep your flowers so lively?" Normally Hermione would not care for something so trivial as flowers, but Harry could see what she was doing. She was trying to figure Jackie out, find out if there was magic at work here.

"Trust me it wasn't easy. I spent the majority of the time since I got back working on it. Its no secret that the key to s healthy garden is to love it. My mom use to say that, she had a gorgeous garden before she died. Whenever she went on trips I use to watch it for her."

"What'd your mom do? You really cared about her." Hermione said softly, her face warm. Harry watched Jackie, she closed her eyes for a moment: she was thinking what her mother had really been doing?

"I did love her a lot. She was the best mom anyone could ask for. But was she really doing? I know she was working in the rainforest in the Amazon for a while. She told she was looking for the cure of a sickness, she told me it was horrible. I know that was what she was doing the last couple of years. She brought me back a couple of things; my favorite was a bracelet of charms carved from bone. I have it somewhere. Anyway, the irony of it was she caught the very disease she was trying to cure. I visited her it the hospital a few times. It was a horrible sight; it was like talking to a copse. She was so thin and fragile. For the last month of her life I watched her slip away, she rarely conscious of what was going on around her."

"So your mom was a scientist?" Hermione asked quietly, noticing how Jackie was affected by talk of her mother.

"I guess you could say she was one. I don't even know what college she went to. I know she did research. She was always bringing home samples of trees and plants that she thought would be the cure. They all had weird names, and my mom kept them all in her special room at our old house. I never went in there because she said it was dangerous, but I figured it looks something like a mad scientist lair, with lots of test tubes and fires burning."

Hermione looked at Jackie curiosity burning in her eyes, she need to talk to Remus. Everything that Jackie said about her mother suggested that she was herbologist, the strange plants and the secret room where she worked on it. It is very possible that her mother had kept it all a secret from her. Her mother could be a witch and had passed it down to Jackie and never told her daughter.

"So Jackie what do you do around here for fun?" Ron asked trying to lighten the mood.

Hermione didn't have time to tell Harry what he thought until later on that night. Jackie and Ron were in the back yard trying to catch fireflies in jars. When Jackie found out the Ron had never partaken in this activity she took it upon herself to teach him how. Hermione used this as a chance to talk to Harry privately.

"What do you suspect Hermione" Harry asked in a quiet voice as he watched the two in the yard running around with empty jelly jars.

"I think her mother was a herbologist. Remus should have gotten back to me, but I have received anything, so I'm still not sure about their schooling. Its very possible that her mother died before she was able to tell Jackie about her abilities."

"How can you be sure she was a herbologist? She could have just been a scientist like Jackie said."

"That's possible, but look at it this way. You saw what she did at the lobby, you heard how her mom kept most of her work a secret. Her mom was working in the rainforest on finding a cure for a _disease._ I think it was probably a curse that someone didn't want a cure found for. There is a lot of research for the cures of many things, both muggle and magical."

"This isn't like you Hermione, usually you would have a lot more proof, but there really isn't much to go on. It's all speculation. There's what I saw, but that could have been a coincidence, then there's the stuff about her mom, but she could have been a scientist who was unlucky. I know what's happening here." Harry whispered in a harsh voice.

"What Harry, what are we doing here?"

"We're replacing _her_. That's what we're doing. We meet a girl who's fun to hang a round. She's a bit of a mystery. We're trying to make her magic, part of our world, but she can't be. When has luck ever been on our side? Never! Things like this never happen to use. I believe it if it was a plot to kill us, that's normal isn't it. But no, I'm not getting my hopes up." Harry stood up and walked back into the house. Hermione followed after him, whispering quickly.

"Harry James Potter, you get back here right now. You are not going to leave. We came here with you to get your mind off the war and everything that happened. Not, let me repeat NOT so we could replace Ginny. There is no one in the world who could replace her, do you hear me! Now you come back out on this porch and be the polite guest that you are. I'm surprised with you, how could you possibly think we are trying to replace Ginny. I know you loved her, we all did, but she died for you to live. Do yo understand that, live. Not mope around miserable for the rest of your life, wishing you could have died to. Do you want her death to have been for nothing?"

Harry looked at Hermione. Tears were welling up in her eyes, there was so much pain and he was the cause of it. All they wanted to do was be able to move on, but he kept bringing up the past, all of the old pains. How could he do this to his friends? Hermione wanted this for him; they brought him here so he could be happy. And he was. He hadn't been this happy for a long time. He had been a horrible friend; he was selfish, only thinking about how he felt.

"Hermione... I'm-" she cut him off.

"I know Harry. Go back outside; I'm just going to go freshen up." Hermione disappeared into the room that she was sharing with Ron.

Harry found Jackie and Ron lying on the ground looking up at the stars. Ron was explaining so things that he had picked up in Astronomy. Harry was sure a few of the things Ron said were made up, but Jackie didn't seem to mind. She looked up at the stars smiling in their dim light. Harry lay down next to her.

"Hey Harry, what were you and Hermione talking about. I heard someone yelling." She asked, her voiced filled with concern.

"It was nothing; sometimes good friends disagree about things that aren't really important." Jackie was sure it was something important. She had noticed the odd questions that had been asking and the critical looks they gave her sometimes when they thought she wasn't looking.

The three laid watching the stars for long into the night, Hermione joined them after a while. Her mood had much approved since Harry had last seen her. A chorus of cicadas and crickets lulled the group as the moon rose into the sky casting a ghostly glow over the land. Harry reached a hand out and grabbed Jackie's. She looked at him a smiled. She didn't care if he was hiding something; she liked him in a way she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Harry what's it like where you're from?" Jackie asked the next morning as the sat down to eat breakfast. Harry thought abut the question.

"Well, for most of my childhood I lived my Aunt and Uncle at their house in Little Whining. It wasn't the best growing up, my cousin Dudley always picked on me, I was a scrawny little blighter. Once I was accepted into Hogwarts things got a lot better. I spent a couple summer with Ron and his family."

"Where do you live now?"

"well, I spent sometime with Ron. I have a house that was left to my in a will, but you know, brings back memories and all. I haven't really been there since my godfather died."

"Oh Harry, that's sad. Were you, well, close to him?"

"Yeah, you could say I was. He was like a father to me. I don't think I ever got the closer I really needed. Sometimes it feels like he's still out there."

Jackie felt connected to Harry, he was so alike. They had felt the same pains, they could understand each other. And she knew what they both needed, some cheering up. They should do something fun. Jackie waited until Ron and Hermione joined them to announce what she had planned.

Ron and Hermione walked in and sat at the table. They greeted Harry and Jackie before fixing themselves breakfast. Jackie waited until they were done eating to make the announcement.

"Okay guys, I've decided that today we are going to the Pavilion, it an amusement park down by the beach. I haven't been in a while, it'd be fun!"

"Sounds great" Harry Said.

"Wonderful."

"Wait!" Ron said looking bewildered. "What is an amusement park?"

"Honestly Ronald. Do you listen to a thing I say…" Hermione snapped, before launching into an explanation of an amusement park.

"Was Ron deprived as a child?" Jackie asked Harry as Hermione explain the principles of a roller coaster. Harry laughed before answering.

"No, but he grew up in a rural area and out school was basically sounded by woods. He didn't really grow up around technology." Harry answered using a well rehearsed lie. He felt bad lying to Jackie, but he couldn't just come out and say, 'Oh well, wizards don't need amusement parks, we have magic to entertain us.'

The rest of the day was spent in the relaxing atmosphere of the beach side amusement park. They spent their time playing games, eating and riding on the rides. Ron rode on a roller coast called _The Hurricane_ nine times before he got sick and had to sit out for a while. Harry and Jackie shared a cotton candy while taking a ride on the Ferris wheel from which they could admire the seashore, the park grounds and a green tinted Ron that waited below.

Eventually the day wore on and the four found themselves one Jackie's back porch sopping ice tea and watching the sun set. After a while it was just Harry and Jackie, Hermione and Ron had excused themselves. The two talked quietly, listening to the wind chimes. All was peaceful and quiet until and shout came form inside the house. Followed by the return of a very excited Hermione, who was waving around a piece of parchment paper.

"You have to come read this Harry! You'll never guess what he said." She said all at one time.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked confused.

"Its Remus."

A.N. Yes, its another chapter, I am on a roll. Another should be out soon, its a four day weeked for me. I decided that I am going to give this story and actual name now that it is more than the one-shot I originally planned on it being. And since I'm not in the creative title making mood, I am leaving it up to the readers to make one. I think I'm going to give you all untill chapter 15 to send in ideas, then I'll chose my favorite one.

Till next time my lovelies Dingo


	8. Not Long Now

Harry stood up quickly, taking a quick glance at Jackie before disappearing into the house. Hermione watched him leave before sitting down with Jackie. At first she didn't say anything, the news was shocking, and the three of them would have to talk about how to approach Jackie. They couldn't just confront her about it; she could take it the wrong way. Hermione had decided that Harry deserved to be the first one to read it, so the result was still up in the air. So she waited, seeing the look of confusion on Jackie's face. She was trying to form words, not quiet sure what had just transpired. Hermione needed an explanation.

"Ron just took a quick ride over to the post office, we've been having mail sent to us where ever we go, keep in touch with the folks back home. Harry just got one from a close family friend." Jackie looked at Hermione critically, they both knew that it was lie, but neither made a move to say anything against it. Jackie knew she had her own secrets, and if they wanted to have their own it was fine, as long as it wasn't that they were mass murderers on the run.

"So Jackie, what do you do around here? You don't spend all your time at this house?"

"Well, during the summer I really spend most of my time at the shop."

"The shop?"

"The Silver Rabbit, it's a store I opened to sell some crafts at. I get some good business there. My landlord, Mrs. Adams, helps me run it during the year. If it wasn't for her I don't know where I'd be right now."

"Why don't we go visit your store tomorrow, I'd love to see what you've made."

"Okay, sounds like a plan."

Back in the house, Harry and Ron looked at the folded piece of parchment. Hesitantly, Harry picked it up, slowly unfolding it, afraid for what it might say. It could mean the end of a friendship if it turned out that there was no chance that Jackie was a witch. Most muggles couldn't handle the truth. Ron was anxious as he looked over Harry's shoulder, waiting for him to open the letter. Slowly he pulled back the paper revealing the words carefully written in Remus' neat script.

_Dear Harry, Hermione and Ron,_

_To begin, I apologize for not replying sooner. We're almost finished with all of the hearings for Death Eaters. My current case is proving to be a little difficult, but I can tell you about it later. First there is a matter of business we have to attend to. _

_I have asked around the ministry and not much is known about the American schools and magic detection. From what I have heard, it is mostly decided through family connections, and most of the schools are located in the north around Salem. It is very likely that your new friends could be a witch and never knew about it. _

_I have deiced that I am coming to visit you. You can say that I'm an old friend who is worried about you and decided that I had to come see you. There are a few days before the final hearing so I have time to come for a short period. I'll find a place nearby and contact you._

_Your Good Friend,_

_Remus Lupin_

"Did you read that Ron? He's coming!" Harry said excitedly.

"Yeah Harry, now you should go tell Hermione and Jackie, you know, give 'em a head ups and all."

"You're right, come on let's go."

Harry and Ron explained that to the girls what the letter had said about Remus coming to visit. Hermione was very pleased. If anyone could tell if Jackie was a witch it was the werewolf, Remus. His heightened senses would be able to detect magic easier then the three of them, and it would be better to know if Jackie was magical before confronting her about it.

The next morning, after a big breakfast, the group left the house and headed into town to see Jackie's shop. It was a small boutique that lined the busy streets of the town. Jackie opened the front door and let the group in. The three others looked around in awe at all of the trinkets that Jackie was selling. There were decorations for all occasions and even a shelf full of odd dolls with button eyes and carefully stitches mouths. There was nothing strange about their appearance, yet when Hermione picked one up she was filled with a sense of dread, a cold chill settled over her.

"Those are voodoo dolls, or at least they're supposed to be. Found one, one year on vacation in the bayou country. My mom had a couple of 'em when I was a kid."

"Voodoo? Like witches and stuff?" Hermione asked a sparkly in her eyes. Every moment they were getting closer to finding out.

"I guess if you believe in those kinds of things. Not much magic in those. I wasn't quite sure what was in the originally so a quick blend of herbs from the yards and a little straw and you have your faux voodoo doll."

"Do you believe in voodoo, and well, magic?" Harry asked picking up one of the dolls.

"It's all a matter of perspective. The world is full of mundane things that no one can really explain. Do I believe there are greater forces out there that make this all possible," she said motioning to the dolls. "Well yeah, I do. Its just easier for some people to think they have it all under control, and that there is nothing mystical and fantastic that they can't explain."

"So what are these suppose to do?" Ron asked wagging one of the dolls.

"Well the original was meant to be given to a child as protection, I tell the customers that those ward off evil spirits and sometimes I tell 'em if they give it to an enemy it gives 'em bad luck. Tourists eat 'em up; they love that kind of stuff." Jackie said giving the bunch of rag dolls and appraising look.

They weren't alone in the store long before they heard a jingle that signaled that someone had entered. Harry was first to see the new arrival. It was an older woman with dark eyes, and equally as dark hair. Her wrinkled skin was darkened from the sun. When she saw Harry standing in one of the aisles she furrowed her brows, looking surprised that there was someone in the store. Harry moved his mouth trying to say someone to the woman but he was beaten to it by an excited Jackie.

"Mrs. Adams, it's so good to see you." Jackie and Mrs. Adams embraced in a warm hug. Harry remembered that this was the landlord who helped Jackie at the shop.

"It is wonderful to see you too Miss Jackie. But I must ask, who is your charmin', young friend 'ere." She asked winking at Jackie whose cheeks flushed for a moment.

"Oh, this is Harry the boy I told you about. His friends are here to. Hermione! Ron, come 'ere!" Jackie shouted, her eyes dancing. Harry could see the love she had for this woman. It was clear to Harry that if anyone in Jackie's life ever came close to being a mother figure it was this woman.

Hermione and Ron appeared from behind a shelf, both clearly flustered, Ron's ears were tinted red and Hermione's hair was slightly disheveled. She played with it nervously, pushing it back in place. Harry smiled knowingly at his two friends. Ron merely shrugged and Hermione looked away.

"How nice to meet y'all. It's not often Miss Jackie brings friends around. Y'all must be sumthin' special. Miss Jackie here doesn't like anythin' dat's just normal." The woman laughed hardily, before turning away from the group and walking to the counter in the back of the store.

"Well, she was nice." Hermione said, breaking the silence that had come after the departure of Mrs. Adams. Jackie was slightly flush in the face.

"Yeah, she's a wonder to have around. What do you all say to getting something to eat?"

"I couldn't complain." Ron said, earning himself a round of laughs from the other three.

The group sat at a table at the Café Bustello eating sandwiches and talking amongst themselves. Harry watched Jackie and thought about how much had happened in the last couple of days. He was being assaulted by so many emotions that he hadn't let himself feel since before the war. He was happy for one, and he couldn't help but notice that Hermione and Ron never cast him nervous glances. It was good to not have them worried about him. In Harry's opinion they needed this vacation as much as he did.

Jackie's thoughts were equally as muddled as Harry's. She knew that this wouldn't last forever. Eventually Harry and his friends would have to return to their own lives and she would have to return to her mundane life of boredom and banality. She felt so connected to Harry; he was so caring, so unlike all the other boys that she had met. The three of them were so different then other people their age. They were mature, traveling around other countries by them selves. But there was something else about them, something that Jackie couldn't quite but her finger on.

"Could you guys excuse me for a minute, I just want to use the toilet right quick." Hermione said, pushing her chair away from the table. Jackie didn't miss the way she clung to her bag as she left.

"Hey Jackie, wanna race me in a chip eating contest. No one back home will ever challenge me." Ron asked quickly, his mouth already full of food.

"That's because you always win mate." Harry said smiling at the look of determination on Jackie's face.

"You're on Ron."

Harry was to be the judge, dishing out equal amounts of fries to the two contestants. His eyes were full of mirth as he counted down. Right now, at this moment, they were just like everyone else, having fun with friends, not worrying about anything.

Hermione locked the door to the bath, and even waved her wand over the knob for extra protection. She had received another letter from Remus that morning. He would be coming tomorrow. She was sending him a reply. She hadn't been able to send one at Jackie's house; she had received his letter too late.

_Dear Remus,_

_We can't wait to see you. Everything about Jackie makes me think that she is a witch. Just today she was showing us voodoo dolls that she had made. They were innocent enough. When we asked Jackie about it she didn't seem against magic in the least. She seems very open to the idea. I would be more surprised if she wasn't magical in nature. And I hope that it's not the case for Harry's sake. There is a hotel in town called the Daulphin. I think you should stay there; it is very close to the shop that Jackie runs. There is also a restaurant, Café Bustello, where we can meet up. Send a reply when you get here with your number._

_Your friend,_

_Hermione Granger_

Hermione folded the piece of parchment up slowly and tapped it with her wand. She muttered an incantation under her breath and watched the letter disappear, knowing it would be only moments before Remus would receive it.

Back out in the café Jackie and Ron were stuffing fries into their mouths. Harry was laughing at the spectacle along with a few of the other patrons of the café. Hermione smiled to herself. It wouldn't be long now.

Remus Lupin sat down at his desk, running a hand through his slightly graying hair. He had just returned from his final meeting with his defendant before that last court hearing. This case had been the hardest one yet. Clearing up all the mess that had been left behind after the war had been hard. Remus had finally been able to get a decent job since he had left school. The war had left many people unsure of what they thought. Remus had proven himself a good ally during the war and proved that being a werewolf did not necessarily make someone dark.

Many things had changed as a result of the war. Luckily many of them were for the best, yet the reminders of lost were ever present. How could they not be with the sheer amount of people lost on both sides? Remus had made it his goal to make all of these troubles easier on those around him.

That's why Remus now found himself immersed in the great legal battle that was raging in the courts of the ministry. Even so long after the war people were still being tried for their involvement. Remus' last case was proving to be the most difficult because of the age of the young man and his involvement. There were so many old prejudices to fight against. But was Remus not proof that prejudices could be gotten over.

Remus welcomed the break to see his three favorite warriors, who had left Molly Weasley in such a state when she found that they had left without telling her ahead of time. Remus had worried about Harry for a long time after the war. The boy was so full of grief; he was wasting away and did not care. It pained Remus that he could not do anything to help him.

Remus smiled when he saw the letter appear on his desk as the last had. He had sent his that morning before his meeting. His smile grew bigger as he read the letter. When finished, he stood up and pulled a trunk out from his bed which he began to fill with some clothes. Then he composed a letter Molly telling him that he was going to check up n her wayward son and his friends. Then he left the house and apparated to the ministry. He had an international port key to arrange.


	9. Do You Believe in Magic

The next morning dawned bright and sunny

The next morning dawned bright and sunny. Jackie whipped up a grand breakfast of eggs, grits, bacon gravy, and bacon. The four ate out on the back porch enjoying the early morning cool. The yard was alive with the sound of birds and the incessant buzz of cicadas. A subdued calm had fallen ever the group since last night when Harry had taken to his friend Remus Lupin.

The group was going to meet him later that day at Café Bustello for lunch. Jackie didn't know what to think of the arrival of the friend Remus. He was probably coming here to pick up the three young adults, their time was up it was time to go home. She hoped that wasn't it. Jackie knew they would have to go back home eventually, but not so soon. She had hoped to enjoy their company a little longer.

Harry was equally as nervous about the impending meeting. It could mean the end of their friendship. If Jackie wasn't a witch she would surely think they were mad when Remus asked her about it. That was the plan; Remus would do the talking, he was always better at handy situation that involved talking. He was much more eloquent then Harry and Ron were, and would never come off as a bossy know-it-all as Hermione could.

Both Hermione and Ron were worried about Harry. Hermione didn't know what would happen when they had to go back to their own world, where once again they would be assaulted by the reminders of the war. It had been hard for them to accept it was over. For seven years they were forced to fight for their lives and now it was hard to not think they were still in danger. They were still in danger, but not like the older days where death was always around the corner waiting in the dark, watching with red eyes.

Harry ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes, and enjoying the feeling of the sun on his skin. Everything about this place was blissful, the sun on your skin, the birds in the trees, the salt air from the ocean, even the continual chorus of bugs safely hidden away in the trees. And Jackie, Jackie was pure bliss.

Harry was watching her now, like had all of those days ago when they were at the pool. Her hair was pulled back now in a ponytail, a few wisps escaping and framing her face. Her mouth was pulled into a wide smile as she laughed at a joke Ron was telling. Her blue eyes danced with mirth.

"Harry! The beach Harry, do you want to go?" Jackie asked. Harry looked at her.

"What?"

"Jackie asked if you wanted to go talk a walk at the beach. Bloody hell, you really know how to pay attention to a woman." This remark earned Ron a hard poke in the side from Hermione.

"Jeez, 'Mione, he was off in la la land with the Cornish pixies."

"Cornish pixies, eh?" Jackie raised an eyebrow.

"It's an expression, you know." Hermione said looking hard at Ron who decided it would be wise to keep quiet for the time being.

"Yeah, the beach, than sounds good."

Remus Lupin walked down the busy seaside streets towards the café where he had agreed to meet the group at. The last full moon was only a few days in the past and Remus was still showing the wear of his last transformation. His skin was pale, yet his yellow tinted eyes still shown with mirth as he imagined Harry's happiness. When he had spoken to him on the phone there was no hiding Harry's excitement and hope. It was contagious.

He wanted this to work out for Harry, who had become like a son to him after Sirius had disappeared behind the veil. It made Remus miserable to watch as Harry locked himself away after the war. He had lost so many people in his life, it was time to change that. That was partly why Remus suggested Harry and his friends got to America. He hoped that the change of environment would help realize that there was life after the war, and he was no longer in danger of losing the people who matter.

Lupin never expected Harry to come and find him a mystery, although it was a very Harry-like kind of thing to do. Leave it to Harry to find the one witch within a hundred miles of him, none the less a witch who doesn't know it. Even after everything is said and done Harry still manages to find himself trouble.

The meeting place, Café Bustello, was down the street from Jackie's shop. Remus got the directions from the attendant at the hotel he was staying at. Café Bustello was a small establishment that had been around for over 70 years. Its open, sun lighted interior created a welcoming atmosphere. Remus quickly climbed the two brick steps and opened the front door of the café. Immediately he spotted Harry's table, Ron's red hair stuck out like a sore thumb. Harry was chatting animatedly with a black haired girl who faced away from Remus. Hermione was the first to see him, she waved him over excitedly causing the other three to turn and direct their attention to Remus.

For a moment Remus' breath caught in his throat. Those big blue eyes bore into him with such intensity that he hadn't been subjected to since he was much younger, in much different times. He shook his head, he was mistaken anyone could have blue eyes. The group continued to beckon him enthusiastically. They hadn't seen it, he was just over reacting. _Yes, overreacting. You nostalgic old fool, she may be a witch, but that does not mean she is related to anyone you know._ He went forward, slightly hesitant, masking his emotions.

Harry was overjoyed to see his old friend Remus; he stood up and gave him that half hug that men are often seen giving each other. There other three stood up also. Hermione gave Remus an enthusiastic hug while Ron settled for shaking his hand. Now was the time for introductions.

"Remus," Harry began, "this is Jackie. Jackie, this is Remus Lupin. Old friend, taught at our school for a year."

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Lupin." She said as they shook hands.

"The pleasure is mine. And please, call me Remus. Mr. Lupin makes me feel old; it's almost as bad as Professor." The four laughed at the joke, leaving Jackie a little out of the loop.

The small group chatted comfortably about the weather, politics and anything else that came to mind. The trio had become more accustomed to American life because of their trip and spent time telling Remus about what they had learned. After eating a small meal and sipping on some tea it was decided to go back to Jackie's house. It was going to be a bit of a squeeze in the rental car, but the group managed. Harry, Remus and Jackie managed to fit in the back seat with Jackie in the middle.

The ride home was comfortable, Jackie found Remus to be most agreeable. He laughed easily, the lines of worry erasing from his face. His eyes were bright as he talked to Harry about some family friend back home. Jackie found it hard not to like him.

At the house the group sat on the back porch late into the evening. Jackie cooked burgers for them, while learning about the boarding school they had attended. Jackie told them about her school, leaving her father and starting her store. Remus was curious about Jackie's relation with her father and what she sold at her store. Jackie shied away form questions about her father and talked readily about her store.

"Basically, I always liked arts and crafts so the store is like my creative outlet. I have a couple regular customers and some who request different things for the holidays. I've sold stuff since I was fifteen and I've had the store for about half a year now."

"Her decorations are really good Remus." Hermione said.

"Yea, I think I might get something for Mum, you know because we left when she didn't want us to. But not one of those voodoo things. Bloody hell, could you imagine if I gave her one of those."

"No Ron, I don't think your Mother would appreciate a voodoo doll. But tell me Jackie, what are these voodoo dolls like."

"Oh, hold on, I'll get one to show you Remus."

Jackie returned with a doll much bigger then the ones from the shop. This one was about eight inches tall, it had pale yellow hair that was made out of some kind of husk, black bead eyes and a crooked smile painted on in red. The body was cover with what resembled a dress made out of feather held on with a leather strap that acted as a belt.

"Can I hold it?" Remus asked.

"Yeah sure." She handed to him carefully. "That one was my Ma's, she got it from a Voodoo lady in New Orleans. She was really into that kind of stuff."

"This is amazing," Remus said, turning the doll over in his hand. "Do you know what his doll was supposed to mean?"

"Well, it's kinda like a good luck charm, but its main purpose is to help you make important decisions. I don't know how it helps, but I like to keep it around, it reminds me of my Ma."

"Do you believe it works, the magic behind the voodoo dolls?"

Jackie was caught off guard by his question. It was the second time she had been asked about magic. What was she suppose to say, '_Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I think I can do it, wanna see?_' No, but she couldn't lie, she couldn't tell them she believed in it with out them asking why. They'd think she was childish for believing in it. Everyone else would.

"Well, um, I guess so; my Ma always told me that there was magic in everything. I grew up believing that there was magic."

"Did you Mother do magic?" Remus' voice was soft, his eyes looking at Jackie were thoughtful. She looked back at him ignoring that other three.

"I don't know, I was young when she died, but I-I…" Jackie stopped and looked down at the ground. She was going to sound stupid. She was going to scare them away and before they left they would throw her in the funny farm. Some friends they'd turn out to be. Well, she was going to have to tell some one someday, or she was likely to go crazy. _Yes, I'll tell them, because they were going to leave eventually so its not like I will see them everyday._

"I…"


	10. I Think I Can

"I think I can

"I think _I_ can." Jackie's hands were clenched at her sides, her teeth clamped together, like she was steeling herself for letdown.

Harry looked like Christmas had come early. It was hard for him to compose himself, Remus was in charge and just because she thought she could do magic didn't make her a witch. For s split second Harry feared it could all be a fluke, or she was against it, but he couldn't believe that. It did not fit Jackie. She was opened minded. Remus would find out whether it meant anything consequential.

"What kind of things have you done?" Remus asked his voice casual.

"Um, well, recently it was the light thing in the lobby, then there was a time one of my teacher's toupee disappeared," she said blushing slightly. "There were other things, they mostly happen when I'm mad."

"Is it only when you're mad?"

"The incident with the toupee was sorta premeditated. I thought it would be funny. The teacher was such a jerk." Remus nodded slowly, a small smile on his lips. Jackie looked from him to the trio then back to Remus openly surprised.

"Did you expect a different reaction from us?" He asked.

Jackie laughed, "Yeah, something like you runin' away thinking I'm crazy. You know the reaction _most_ people would have in this situation. But you guys aren't like most people."

"No Jackie, we're not like other people."

"What do you mean not like other people?" Distress was slipping into Jackie's voice..

Harry answered the question, afraid of Jackie's reaction. "We aren't like normal people, I mean we are, but we can do magic." A look of realization came across Jackie's face. "I'm a wizard, and so are Ron and Remus. Hermione is a witch, and well, we think you're on too." Jackie stared at Harry. _A witch, that's ridiculous._ Jackie stood up quickly.

"I think I've lost my mind, if you could excuse me, I'm gonna go find it." Jackie disappeared into the house.

"That could have gone better." Ron said before taking a hefty bite of a burger.

"I think I'm going to go see if Jackie is okay?" Hermione said.

"Good luck."

When Hermione was gone Remus turned to Harry. "How you holding up Kiddo?"

"Oh, I'm just peachy. One of the few people I've ever met that wanted to be my friend not because I was The Harry Potter, but because I'm Harry thinks she's lost her mind."

"It's not a lost cause yet, let's wait and see what Hermione can do."

Hermione found Jackie in her room. She was sitting on her bed, her head resting on her knees, hair fanning out and covering her face. Her shoulders moved with each slowly taken breath. Hermione approached her cautiously.

"Hey Jackie, you alright?" Hermione sat on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know. I don't know what to think. I never told anyone about that stuff before and I never expected anyone would believe it."

"Do you believe?"

"Do I believe? I guess I do. I just didn't think there was an explanation. But then that might be a lie. I had always hoped, always thought that there had to be a reason for it. When I was a child and it first started I thought my ma could explain it, but she was already dead then. I could have looked for an answer, asked some Hoodoo practitioner out in the bayous what they thought it was, but I knew that wasn't the answer I was looking for. A witch, though, I never saw that coming, but its believable."

"I certainly didn't believe it when I first found out."

"You didn't always know?"

"No, you see I'm what we call Muggle-born. That means neither of my parents had magic in their blood."

"So that's what I am?"

"I guess so. I didn't find out about it until I was 11 and got my letter for Hogwarts." Jackie snorted at the name; she would never get over its bizarre-ness. "Real mature, that boarding school was really magic school."

"And all the kids that went there were magical?"

"Yes, for seven years Hogwarts was our home. We learned everything we needed to know to survive in the wizarding world. Many pureblood families wouldn't be able to survive in the Muggle world."

"Muggle meaning non- magical?"

"Yes, People like Ron who have depended on magic their whole life have it hard. Harry has it better because he was raised by his Muggle aunt and uncle."

"How did you guys figure me out?"

"Harry saw your little stunt in the lobby." Jackie laughed, he most have if he found her on the stairs only moments later.

"I always knew there was something off about you guys, the whole mysterious letter from your good friend. And they way you guys seemed to avoid certain things. Or the way Ron is sometimes mystified by the simplest things."

"True, Ron isn't always the most discreet of people. He actually has no tact."

"Oh, so what's our next move?"

"I'm not really sure, let's go ask Remus."

Outside the three others were awaiting the return of the girls. Harry watched the anxiously, he was worried with what the outcome would be. Before he left for the States Harry had just existed, it wasn't living, he was just there. But Jackie, she helped him forget everything that had happened in his world. All of the despair everyday life there cause was lost here, where there were no reminders. It would crush all hope for a him having a normal life again if Jackie disown them because of this. Too many times had people formed opinions of him based on what he was rather than who he was, he could stand to have it happen again. He would just go home, if he could call it home anymore and go back into hiding, attempting to escape the world and all of its agonies.

Luckily for Harry he wasn't going to have to go back down the road to depression. Hermione and Jackie walked out the door, Hermione Beaming, and Jackie looking a little nervous but no long like she thought she had lost her mind.

"Alright Remus, how do I found out for certain that I am what you say I am?"

"Well, I'm almost positive you are, from what you've said, and also because you give off this aura that people with magic have. But what we need to do to know for sure is take you to Olivanders and see what he says. He is a wand maker, and therefore is adept in this kind of thing. And once we are sure we will need to register you with the Ministry of Magic."

"You have your own government."

"Yes, it shouldn't take long. The Ministry will be able to handle any business with the Americans, that is, if you want to pursue this. We could always leave and never bother you again."

"Yeah right, and know I could have been a witch and do magic with a wand. No way, I am going to pass this up. So this means we have to go to Britain or something."

"Yea, Ministry offices are in London, my Dad's the head of one of the departments. And that's where Diagon Ally is." Ron said.

"Diagon Ally is a shopping centre for wizards. That's where Olivander has his shop." Harry explained.

"How are we going to get there?"

"I have that covered." Remus said pulling an ordinary looking letter opener out of his pocket. "International portkey."

Once again plans were being made. Hermione took it upon herself to explain aspects of wizarding life to Jackie before their trip to London. Jackie had arranged so that Mrs. Adams was in control of the shop until Jackie came back. It hadn't been decided how long the trip was going to be, but nobody really cared.

Spirits were high the morning that the portkey was arranged for. Jackie had a small bag packed; Harry had told her that he could get her anything else she need once they got there. There was only a half an hour before they left and Jackie was slightly nervous. She sat in her room on the bed holding the voodoo doll in her hands. So much in her life was changing. Everyone knows life changes after high school, but Jackie was sure nobody's life was going to change as much as hers.

Nothing would ever be the same. Even if she decided to come back he and have nothing to do with the magic world that they talked about Jackie would be different. She knew what she was now, her life wasn't a mystery and she wasn't a freak like she had always thought she was. She was someone, not something.

Harry walked into Jackie's room. Jackie looked serene as she sat at her window, looking out at the back yard with a far away expression. Remus and Ron were talking animatedly, but that wasn't what Jackie saw. She was looking beyond that, at the world, the life she was leaving behind.

Harry admired her strength; she was leaving everything she knew to chase something that could only be real in her dreams. She had told him how she thought she was a freak, afraid that someone would find out and society would cast her away. Harry could relate to her, he knew what it felt like to feel lost in a world where everyone else seemed to know what was going on. When he first entered the wizarding world he had been lost. Everything was new to him, strange and unbelievable. Now Jackie had to face that same thing, but Harry vowed he would make as easy for her as he could.

"You ready to go Jackie?" His question broke her away form her silent reverie. She looked from the window to Harry, a small smile on her lips.

"As ready as I will ever be."


	11. The Burrow

The light was quickly fading from the sky as the group of five stood around the portkey

The light was quickly fading from the sky as the group of five stood around the portkey. Jackie was eyeing it nervously, hardly believing that a letter opener could get them magically across an ocean and to Ron's parents' house called The Burrow. Hermione and Remus had tried to explain the concept, but it had been pointless. Jackie was still as clueless as before, Harry tried to reassure her.

"The first time I used a portkey it was an old boot, hardly as reliable as a penknife."

"Oh? Hardly." Jackie said sarcastically.

"You'll get use to all the magic stuff. Harry and Hermione did. _I_ never had a problem, but you know I am so superior when it comes to magically knowledge." Ron said proudly will shoving handfuls of figs off a tree into his pocket.

"Yes Ronald, you are definitely magically superior. A great example would be that time in second year when you tried to curse Malfoy and ended up cursing yourself because you broke your wand when you and Harry crashed your father's car into the Whomping Willow."

"You crashed a car into a tree?" Jackie asked incredulous.

"Oh no Jackie, they didn't only crash it into a tree, but flew it into it. And then the curse that he used left his throwing up slugs." Jackie made a face at the thought of puking slugs. Remus laughed.

"Yes, that doesn't sound fun, and while I love a good laugh at Ron's expense, I think we should ready ourselves." He looked at the watch on his wrist. "Any minute now really."

Jackie took hold of the opener tighter than needed. She was rather unnerved by the situation. It wasn't everyday you left the country, and it were definitely not with a portkey for most people. She focused on holding on, her shoulders were tense and her eyes close. She vaguely was aware of Remus counting down the time for departure.

20…

Jackie took in a deep breathe and opened her eyes. She scanned the backyard; everything was dosed in the golden light of the sun. It was the last time she was going to see her yard for a while. She was acutely aware of the beauty around her, all of it was hers, but she was leaving it behind to find out who she was. She had never traveled away form home since her mother died. It was one great leap for Jackie-kind.

15…

She stole a glance around the group, they all held on to the portkey light, they looked laid back. This portkey business was nothing to them.

10…

Jackie held her breathe again and closed her eyes. She was aware of Harry's body next to hers. The feeling of him so close was comforting.

5…

Jackie took in a quick breathe, she half expected nothing to happen and half expect something terrible to happen. She was considering letting go when she felt Harry's hand encompass hers. His fingers entwined with hers, his skin warm and comforting.

GO!

Jackie felt the distinct feeling of no longer being on the ground, and a weird pull from behind her belly-button. Wind whipped around her and she fought the urge to let go of the letter opener, but the pressure of Harry's hand on hers was encouraging.

The trip was over before it started. Jackie would have fallen over on impact but the strong arms of Harry pulled her upright. Ron was grinning, looking rather pleased with something and Hermione seemed rather pleased too. Remus was looking behind Jackie, who then turned and was surprised with what she saw. It was a house of the likes she had never seen. It looked like pieces of it had been put together like a child with building blocks. Jackie couldn't imagine what could keep it together, but then she knew, magic!

Jackie turned back when she heard Ron whispering loudly to Hermione. She in turned seemed to be trying to shush him and he pointed at Jackie, or at least Jackie thought he was pointing at her. But then she realized it wasn't _her_. He was pointing at her hand which happened to still be held firmly in Harry. Harry then too realized what was occurring between his friends. The two both looked at their hands then quickly at each other before pulling apart. Both had a faint blush on their cheeks.

"Nothing like 'Home Sweet Home'" Ron said cheerfully, before grabbing Hermione by the arm and dragging her towards the house.

He wasn't nearly halfway to the door when two identical guys barge out, yelling incomprehensible things as loud as they could. Behind them came a woman whose only possible job in life was being a mother. Her red hair was pulled by in a bun, her modest outfit topped with an apron, and as she yelled at the two boys, obviously twins, she brandished a saucy spoon.

"How many times do I have to tell you about those bloody wands? If I see another one in the house I'm going to-" Whatever threat Molly Weasley had in store for her two sons wayward sons was forgotten when she noticed the assembly of people standing in the yard. Remus was still standing where they had landed holding the used portkey. Ron was still holding on to Hermione and now had a look of apprehension on his face due to the foul mood he had found his mother in. Harry and Jackie were still standing awkwardly in the middle.

It was the twins who first recovered from the shock of finding their lost brother in the back yard and also the first to realize that there was one more person then there should have been.

"Oi Fred, it looks like our golden trio has brought us back a present form the states."

"Yes, that must be it. I've always wanted one of those American girls everyone is always talking about."

"_Jackie_ is _not_ a gift for you, you gits." Ron said happily. "_She_ is a friend of Harry's." Jackie watched as a strange looked appeared on the faces of the three she could only assume were Ron's family. Jackie wondered about it significance, but the thought was quickly lost in the barrage of questions that came next.

"RONALD WEASLEY! What do you think you were doing leaving the home without telling me that you were leaving the country?"

"Well, I-"

"And you Remus Lupin, you knew where they were and never told me."

"I thought-"

"No! No excuses, and on top of that you leave faster then those three. Not even telling Tonks where you are going, poor thing has been in a tizzy ever since."

"I was only gone a few days." Remus pleaded.

"And to an anxious wife who has no idea where you are, a _few_ days is an _eternity_."

"But mum it was important-" Ron started, trying to defend Remus.

"I DON'T CARE! And don't think I'm done with you, and Hermione, I thought you had more sense than to leave without telling me where you were going."

"What?" Hermione shot a venomous look at Ron. "Ronald was _suppose_ to tell you of our plans before we left." Hermione said pointedly.

"RONALD…" Jackie pinned Mrs. Weasley as the worrying sort of mother who liked to know what it was her children were doing.

The scolding went on for a few more minutes before Mrs. Weasley seemed to have exhausted all of her pent up frustration with her son and his friends.

"Now, onto more important business. Who is this lovely young lady you four brought home with you?" She asked with a warm smile.

"This is Jackie Carlson. She is the reason I left in such a hurry. Hermione mentioned to me in a letter that they thought they had found someone who was possibly a witch and didn't know it. They befriended Jackie while traveling and realized that she was doing magic without being involved with the magical world. After confronting Jackie about it I decided it was necessary to bring her here and register and get her a wand for proper use of magic. I would also like to give her some lesson in wizardry if she would allow me." Jackie was excited from the prospect if learning how to use her magic."

"Of course _those_ three would find someone whose situation was so unheard of. Then again, the bloody Americans can barely take care of themselves. Well you must be hungry after your trip. Dinner should be ready by now."

The group followed Molly into the kitchen. Jackie couldn't help but notice that the twins seemed to think that they were escaping punishment. They were whispering feverously and seemed to be plotting something more sinister then what they had done before.

Harry led Jackie to the table and pulled out a seat for her, next to one for him. She thanked him and sat down. Harry positioned himself on her right, next to Remus who sat at the head on the table opposite of Mrs. Weasley. There was a bit of a fuss when the twins got into a row about who got to sit next to 'The New Girl'. It was finally decided by the flip of a coin. A rather dejected George announced on losing that he called next to Jackie for the next meal, because surely Jackie was staying at The Burrow for a while.

"Of course, any friend of Harry's is welcome here."

Jackie was worried at first that she would be imposing, but was quickly reassured that there was plenty of room because the twins lived at their flat and Ron had three other brothers who had all lived in the Burrow at one time or another.

"Wow, I wish I had had siblings, I can only imagine what _that_ was like."

"Your parents didn't have any child other than you?"

"No, I think my ma would have liked to have more, but work kept her busy and after she died well, my father's second wife, Suzie, is hardly the maternal type."

"Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear about your mother." Mrs. Weasley said, her voice soft.

"It's alright. I was eight then, that was a long time ago. I just try not to focus on it." Then trying to change the subject she added, "the food is absolutely lovely."

"Oh, thank you dear. There almost wasn't any food because those two left more of there ruddy trick wands lying about." Both twins looked sheepish. "Thought you had escaped me, did you? Well let me tell you-" Her rant was cut off by a loud yawn from Harry.

"I think it's time these kids get off to bed Molly. They have to be exhausted by now." Remus said taking the hint.

"And _you_ should be getting home now."

"Yes of course." Remus' departure from the room was followed by a loud crack.

"I'll show Jackie to our room." Hermione said getting up and dragging Jackie away as Molly launched into a full tirade as she the twins trying to switch out Ron's wand.

"Is it always like that with those two."

"Oh yes, always!"


	12. The Wizarding World Explained

After the meal was done Hermione led Jackie up to the room the she used

After the meal was done Hermione led Jackie up to the room the she used. Once there Hermione revived her luggage that had been shrunk for easy transportation. Jackie looked around the room with curiously. The walls were covered with moving posters of various quidditch teams. There were two twin beds set up on opposite sides of the room. One was covered in a plain black spread and the other had a floral patterned cover. Hermione dropped down onto the floral one and let out a sigh.

"Wow, it really does feel great to be home."

"You live here?" Jackie asked, still not sure what the arrangements were with the three.

"Yes, you see there are some things I have to explain to you about the wizarding world. Things you will need to know before we leave and aculeate you to all of _this_." Hermione motioned around the room. It was definitely not a muggle's room, with its moving poster, odd assortment of bottles filled with potions ingredients. Then there was the house itself, practically held together with magic.

"The most important thing you need to understand is that not all wizards are good. There is evil even here. There was one wizard…"

Jackie sat on the bed and listened to Hermione attentively. Hermione was in full lecture mode as she told the story of Harry's birth and subsequent prophecy that decided the path his life would take. She explained how Harry was raised by his Aunt and Uncle, whose prejudice against magic made his childhood miserable and how he escaped to the world of magic when he was eleven. She told of their first year and Voldemort possession and attempt to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone, Their second year with the chamber, third with Wormtail, fourth year with the Triwizard Tournament.

As each year was relive Jackie became aware of how much pain Harry had been put through for the good of his people. His life had been a fight from the very beginning. And in return he lost everything, his parents, his godfather, friends, lover.

Jackie listened intently as Hermione explained how the final battle had been fought at Hogwarts. The students who had been there had formed a resistance against the dark wizards that had taken over the school; among them was Ginny, Ron's younger sister. Harry had loved her, but he had had to leave her behind as the three search the country for the way to kill the seemingly immortal Lord Voldemort.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was still hard for her, those months while she was hunted like an animal, thought of as dirt. She still couldn't believe that they had come out alive, there were times where she would have liked to leave it all behind and run away to some remote place where they couldn't find her, but she could never have done it. How could she have lived knowing that there was somewhere out there being torture because of something they couldn't control?

The next part of the story was the hardest. The final battle sometimes a blur, the details running into the other like the colors in a rainbow. She remembered thinking Harry was dead and all was lost but that wasn't so. Then after it all died down and Voldemort was dead, there were all of the bodies, the injured and the dead. She could see Ginny, surrounded by her family in the corner of the Great Hall. Her face was pale, but peaceful, vibrant red hair framing her face.

"It was hard for us all when everything was over. Harry had it the hardest, he took every death personally. Some of the people we had none for seven years. We almost lost Remus, it was touch and go for a while. Slowly the rest of us were able to go back into some semblance of normality, but Harry, poor Harry. He was heart broken. She was his first love. He barely ate, or talked to anyone after the war. While everyone else was celebrating, Harry was an empty shell."

"How long was he like that?"

"Um, pretty much for the last year."

"Oh, that's horrible. He seems better now; sometimes he looks a little distracted. I really would have never known something like this had happened."

"No, Harry has always been really good at keeping his emotions hidden, but this time I think he is actually enjoying himself. It's good for him to have a friend who didn't want to be his friend because he was The Boy Who Lived."

"Wow, and you think I can really help him. I have enough ghosts of my own, what if I can't help him."

"Just be his friend, that's all I ask. Understand that this life has never been easy for him and it isn't easy now. People are always trying to make him think the way they want him to, be their poster child. All he wants to do is be normal. You represent that, in a not so normal way that is familiar to Harry. His lie was never then norm, and yours isn't really either."

"I'll try, but what if it's not enough."

"As long as you try…"

With my new understanding of the wizarding world I thought I was ready for anything, so when I walked into the kitchen the next morning I was stoked. I sat down and ate hardily. I was sipping orange juice and absentmindedly looking around the room and Ron told the twins about driving. My eyes fell on the fire as the flames turned green and a short man with slightly balding hair stumbled out.

In my shock the cup of juice slipped through my fingers and fell to the floor in a loud clatter. The arrival of the man was then announced to the rest of the room who was hardly shocked at the occurrence. I turned to George and pointed to the man that was now brushing soot off of his robes.

"Did he just come out of the fireplace?"

"Ah, never seen Floo travel, eh?" I shook my head. "Easiest way to travel next to apparition. All you have to do is take a handful of Floor powder, throw it in the fire, and when it turns green you walk in and say where you want to go. Simple really. I…" George was interrupted by an outburst from his mother.

"You could have sent an owl to say you'd be in work late. Really Arthur, as a Head you should be more responsible. I'm here worrying that something might have happened and you're safe at work. And you missed your son's return."

"Yes, Remus told me…"

"Remus, when did you have time to see Remus. I thought you said you were busy?" Her voice was shrill now. She was not a woman Jackie wanted to cross.

"I was on the way out. He said we had company." He finished sheepishly, probably hoping to change the subject, it worked.

"Yes, Jackie. Of course. Jackie dear, this is my husband Arthur. Arthur this is Jackie Carlson. She is a new friend of Harry's." Jackie didn't miss how she was introduced as Harry's friend, like it meant something more, and now knowing the story she realized what it meant.

"He wants the four to meet him in Diagon Alley at 10, wand shopping and other business. He'll be waiting for you lot at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Alright, enough talk Arthur sit down and eat."

The rest of the meal was uneventful until Hermione used what she thought was her wand, but rather a fake wand. Instead of clearing the table all of the plates they were flung right towards George and Jackie. Both were saved by some careful wand work done by Mrs. Weasley who sent them into the sink. After that the twins decided it was definitely time that they go and open their shop for the day. Jackie watched them disappear into the green flames.

Hermione and Jackie left the table after that and got ready for the trip to Diagon Alley. Hermione explained the wizard shopping centre. It was where Ollivanders the main stop, Jackie would be getting her wand there. Jackie was anxious to get there. Having a wand would be proof that she was a witch, she couldn't contain her excitement. She smiled widely as she pulled on a comfortable pair of shoes. She didn't have any proper wizarding clothes, but Hermione assured her that she wouldn't be the only one not in robes, the classic attire was slowly losing its appeal as the world of magic began to embrace its muggle neighbors.

The two were the last to return to the kitchen to leave. Ron was hungrily eyeing a batch of cookies that Molly had made, Harry was looking out the window bored and Mr. Weasley was reading at paper that much to Jackie's delight had a moving image on the front page.

"Alright Jackie, now all you have to do is take a handful of Floo powder and throw it into the fire. Than shout 'Diagon Alley' and step in." Hermione explained once the four had assembled in front of the fireplace.

"Here, watch me, don't want to you end up in Knockturn Alley like that prat." Ron said pointing a finger at Harry who blushed profusely. Ron then grabbed a handful of powder which he threw in the flames. They turned green and he shouted the words then disappeared like the twins had done earlier.

"Okay, I'm ready." Jackie grabbed a handful of powder and stepped up to the fire. She threw it in and waited for it to turned green, shout Diagon Alley and disappeared.


End file.
